The national debt of China amounted to 16.65 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024. Following a continuous upward trend, the national debt has risen by 16.46 trillion U.S. dollars since 1995. Between 2024 and 2030, the national debt will rise by 12.97 trillion U.S. dollars, continuing its consistent upward trajectory.

Government debt statistics for China including total debt, debt-to-GDP ratio, and per capita figures.

As of December 2024, Japan held United States treasury securities totaling about 1.06 trillion U.S. dollars. Foreign holders of United States treasury debt According to the Federal Reserve and U.S. Department of the Treasury, foreign countries held a total of 8.5 trillion U.S. dollars in U.S. treasury securities as of December 2024. Of the total held by foreign countries, Japan and Mainland China held the greatest portions, with China holding 759 billion U.S. dollars in U.S. securities. The U.S. public debt In 2023, the United States had a total public national debt of 33.2 trillion U.S. dollars, an amount that has been rising steadily, particularly since 2008. In 2023, the total interest expense on debt held by the public of the United States reached 678 billion U.S. dollars, while 197 billion U.S. dollars in interest expense were intra governmental debt holdings. Total outlays of the U.S. government were 6.1 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. By 2029, spending is projected to reach 8.3 trillion U.S. dollars.

Key information about China Government Debt: % of GDP

• China Government debt accounted for 28.8 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Sep 2025, compared with the ratio of 27.6 % in the previous quarter.
• China government debt to GDP ratio data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2014 to Sep 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 28.8 % in Sep 2025 and a record low of 14.0 % in Mar 2014.

CEIC calculates quarterly Government Debt as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly Government Debt and rolling sum of quarterly Nominal GDP. The Ministry of Finance provides Government Debt in local currency. The National Bureau of Statistics provides Nominal GDP in local currency. Government Debt covers Central Government only.


Related information about China Government Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, China National Government Debt reached 5,896.1 USD bn in Dec 2025.
• The country's Nominal GDP reached 4,953.4 USD bn in Sep 2025.

The graph shows national debt in China related to gross domestic product until 2024, with forecasts to 2030. In 2024, gross national debt ranged at around 88 percent of the national gross domestic product. The debt-to-GDP ratio In economics, the ratio between a country's government debt and its gross domestic product (GDP) is generally defined as the debt-to-GDP ratio. It is a useful indicator for investors to measure a country's ability to fulfill future payments on its debts. A low debt-to-GDP ratio also suggests that an economy produces and sells a sufficient amount of goods and services to pay back those debts. Among the important industrial and emerging countries, Japan displayed one of the highest debt-to-GDP ratios. In 2024, the estimated national debt of Japan amounted to about 250 percent of its GDP, up from around 180 percent in 2004. One reason behind Japan's high debt load lies in its low annual GDP growth rate. Development in China China's national debt related to GDP grew slowly but steadily from around 23 percent in 2000 to 34 percent in 2012, only disrupted by the global financial crisis in 2008. In recent years, China increased credit financing to spur economic growth, resulting in higher levels of debt. China's real estate crisis and a difficult global economic environment require further stimulating measures by the government and will predictably lead to even higher debt growth in the years ahead.

Graph and download economic data for General government gross debt for China (GGGDTACNA188N) from 1995 to 2024 about China, debt, gross, and government.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Debt Held by Foreign and International Investors (FDHBFIN) from Q1 1970 to Q3 2025 about foreign, debt, federal, and USA.

China recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 88.30 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides - China Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) in China was reported at 2419835436492 USD in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2026.

This statistic shows the national debt of important industrial and emerging countries in 2024 in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP). In 2024, the national debt of China was at about 88.33 percent of the gross domestic product.

External Debt in China decreased to 24198 USD Hundred Million in 2024 from 24475 USD Hundred Million in 2023. This dataset provides - China External Debt - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In 2023, China held **** percent of foreign held U.S. securities. Japan held a further **** percent of foreign held securities. The national debt of the United Stated can be found here.

Foreign Treasury Holdings China in the United States decreased to 683.50 USD Billion in December from 683.90 USD Billion in November of 2025. United States US Treasuries Held by China - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on February of 2026.

Key information about China Household Debt

• China Household Debt reached 12,045.5 USD bn in Jan 2026, compared with the reported number of 11,907.7 USD bn in the previous month
• China Household Debt: USD mn data is updated monthly, available from Jan 2007 to Jan 2026
• The data reached an all-time high of 12,045.5 USD bn in Jan 2026 and a record low of 517.7 USD bn in Jan 2007

CEIC converts monthly Household Debt into USD. The People's Bank of China provides Household Debt in local currency. The Federal Reserve Board period end market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Loans are used due to the lack of Flow of Funds statistics.


Further information about China Household Debt

• In the latest reports, China Household Debt accounted for 60.4 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Sep 2025
• Money Supply M2 in China increased 45,681.4 USD bn YoY in Jun 2025
• China Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 3,399.1 USD bn in Jan 2026
• The Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 13.8 Months of Import in Dec 2025
• China Domestic Credit reached 55,475.1 USD bn in Jan 2026, representing an increased of 7.9 % YoY

Key information about China External Debt

• China External Debt reached 2,436.8 USD bn in Jun 2025, compared with 2,451.4 USD bn in the previous quarter.
• China External Debt: USD mn data is updated quarterly, available from Jun 2003 to Jun 2025.

The State Administration of Foreign Exchange provides quartely External Debt in USD.


Related information about China External Debt

• In the latest reports of China, Current Account recorded a surplus of 195.6 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased by 8.5 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• China Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 39.9 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 8.3 USD bn in Jun 2025.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 4,953.4 USD bn in Sep 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Debt Held by Federal Reserve Banks (FDHBFRBN) from Q1 1970 to Q4 2025 about debt, federal, banks, depository institutions, and USA.

Key information about China External Debt: % of GDP

• China External Debt accounted for 12.9 % of the country's Nominal GDP in 2024, compared with the ratio of 13.4 % in the previous year.
• China External Debt: % of Nominal GDP data is updated yearly, available from Dec 1985 to Dec 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 16.7 % in Dec 2014 and a record low of 5.1 % in Dec 1985.

CEIC calculates External Debt as % of Nominal GDP from annual External Debt and annual Nominal GDP. The State Administration of Foreign Exchange provides External Debt in USD. The National Bureau of Statistics provides Nominal GDP in local currency. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions.


Related information about China External Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports of China, Current Account recorded a surplus of 198.7 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased by 8.5 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• China Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 39.9 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment fell by 82.3 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• The country's External Debt reached 2,368,410.3 in Sep 2025.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 4,953.4 USD bn in Sep 2025.

Key information about Hong Kong SAR (China) National Government Debt

• Hong Kong SAR (China) National Government Debt reached 190.8 USD bn in Mar 2025, compared with 190.1 USD bn in the previous year.
• Hong Kong SAR (China) National Government Debt data is updated yearly, available from Mar 2003 to Mar 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 190.8 USD bn in Mar 2025 and a record low of 45.3 USD bn in Mar 2003.

*This indicator will be no longer available from March 2026, 4th onwards. CEIC has a plan to remove the non-standard frequency indicator after the standard frequency indicator has been added and be available on this table. CEIC converts annual Government Debt into USD. The Treasury provides Government Debt in local currency. The Federal Reserve Board period end market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Government Debt covers Provision for Pensions, Bonds and Notes Issued and Other Liabilities. Government Debt is in annual frequency, ending in March of each year.


Related information about Hong Kong SAR (China) National Government Debt

• In the latest reports, Hong Kong SAR (China) Consolidated Fiscal Balance registered a surplus equal to 1.3 % of its Nominal GDP in Sep 2025.
• The country's Government debt accounted for 46.3 % of its Nominal GDP in Mar 2025.
• Hong Kong SAR (China) Nominal GDP reached 109.2 USD bn in Sep 2025.

Foreign Debt: U.S. Dollar data was reported at 888.030 USD bn in Sep 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 922.957 USD bn for Jun 2025. Foreign Debt: U.S. Dollar data is updated quarterly, averaging 909.387 USD bn from Dec 2009 (Median) to Sep 2025, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,290.516 USD bn in Mar 2022 and a record low of 180.883 USD bn in Dec 2009. Foreign Debt: U.S. Dollar data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by State Administration of Foreign Exchange. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Government and Public Finance – Table CN.FA: Foreign Debt: Quarterly.

The outstanding value of China's general government debt securities has shown an upward trend from 2000 to the third quarter of 2024, rising from *** billion U.S. dollars to over ** trillion U.S. dollars. The largest increase occurred between 2019 and 2020, when it went from *** trillion to *** trillion U.S. dollars.